BIOSECURITY IN TODAY’S AG WORLD

Lions and Tigers and Bears

Once upon a time, there was a world where all we had to worry about was lions and tigers and bears (Oh my!). The yellow brick road was lined with the sweet goodness of lollipops and licorice. However, in today’s world, we no longer see the proverbial wildlife and scarecrow, nor do we see bricks of gold. Rather, we see disease, parasites, and losses.

In reality, all this isn’t new. Biosecurity has been a term used for several years. However, not everyone within the agricultural world is familiar with the term and why it may be important to them. So, let’s take a look at what biosecurity is and how it can impact you.

Biosecurity in Agriculture

To put it simply, as it pertains to agriculture, biosecurity is the protection of plants and animals against pests (e.g. rodents, insects) and diseases. By alien, I mean pests and diseases not already on your farm. It also means reducing the risk of spreading diseases to other animals currently on your farm (Waage, 2008).

Without biosecurity, our crops may be worthless. Our livestock may die. Our dream, livelihoods, and future may be gone. To prevent as much as possible from this happening, we need to keep biosecurity in the forefront of our minds. We need to actively keep working to keep our farms safe and security from those pests and diseases that can take what we have worked so hard to build from us.

Biosecurity and Crops

Crop biosecurity looks at ways to eliminate (or at least limit) the introduction, establishment, and spread of plant pests and noxi